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Author(s)

九州大学大学院人間環境学研究院Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University

Abstract

Progress and issues of the study on the shading perception are reviewed. Shading is the gradual change of the luminous intensity which is often generated on an object when the light souce (e.g. the Sun) illuminates it. Our visual system is able in recover three dimensional world by using the shading information as a depth cue. It has been considered that the shading information is processed in the higher-order visual process. However, recent studics suggest that the information can be also extracted in the lower-order visual process and these proposals are supported by some neurophysiological evidences. This review is organized as follows: (1) two constraints in the shading perception, (2) the research method to investigate the shading perception. (3) the processing of the shading information in the higher and lower-order vision. (4) the predominance of the left light source, (5) the shading perception in animal and infant vision, and (6) neurophysiological evidence of the shading perception.

Progress and issues of the study on the shading perception are reviewed. Shading is the gradual change of the luminous intensity which is often generated on an object when the light source (e.g. the Sun) illuminates it. Our visual system is able to recover three-dimensional world by using the shading information as a depth cue. It has been considered that the shading information is processed in the higher-order visual process. However, recent studies suggest that the information can be also extracted in the lower-order visual process and these proposals are supported by some neurophysiological evidences. This review is organized as follows: (1) two constraints in the shading perception, (2) the research method to investigate the shading perception, (3) the processing of the shading information in the higher and lower-order vision, (4) the predominance of the left light source, (5) the shading perception in animal and infant vision, and (6) neurophysiological evidence of the shading perception.